A former 2003 NFL draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs has died.
As confirmed by CBS Sports Texas reporter and Cowboys play-by-play guy Bill Jones, former Chiefs DE Jimmy Wilkerson passed away on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, from a reported heart attack. He was just 43 years old and leaves behind a wife and four children.
Several former teammates and coaches have confirmed Wilkerson’s passing on social media. That group includes his former Chiefs teammate, Lawrence Hynes, and his former head coach at the University of Oklahoma, Bob Stoops.
A sixth-round draft pick (189 overall) in the 2003 NFL draft, Wilkerson came to Kansas City with a decorated high school career in East Texas and a decorated college career with the Oklahoma Sooners. Wilkerson was named East Texas Player of the Year during high school after leading Paul Pewitt Brahmas to a state title. The 6-foot-2 and 270-pound edge rusher earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors twice during his college career and became a BCS national champion with the Sooners in 2000.
Wilkerson played with the Chiefs for five seasons (2003-2007), mostly as a rotational defensive lineman. He appeared in 72 regular-season games with five starts. As a rookie in 2003, he won the Mack Lee Hill Award, which signifies the team’s rookie of the year. During his time with the team, he recorded 94 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, a sack, and four passes batted. After his tenure with the Chiefs, Wilkerson led a successful two-year stretch with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before finishing his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints.
After his NFL career had ended, Wilkerson became a certified personal trainer with his own business, Level Up Fitness. He also briefly interned with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a game film analyst. During his post-playing career, Wilkerson maintained strong ties in his home state of Texas, serving as a defensive line coach at Summit Christian Academy and later as a pass rush specialist with East Texas A&M University. He most recently coached for Carl Albert High School in Oklahoma City, where his son, Maddox Wilkerson, plays defensive end and tight end. Carl Albert HS plays in the state championship on Saturday, Dec. 14.
